Destiny
by Emerald Griffon
Summary: When destiny beckons, no one can resist its call. When seven new cats join ThunderClan, what will it mean for them? Baby Blues and C&H crossover
1. Prologue

A lone black female, flecked with white and with a white hind left paw, stood on one of the SunningRocks, oblivious to her surroundings, her thoughts wandering towards the foreboding dream of last night. _Danger threatens the Clan…_ But before she could ponder it any more, she detected movement behind her.

"Ha! Junglebeat! I had long detected your blundering movements." She turned and pounced, landing squarely on her fellow warrior. Junglebeat groaned inwardly. Her smooth creeping apparently wasn't enough to creep up on Starsky.

Starsky was a fine warrior, and her best friend. Despite the fact that she could be pretty stubborn about some things, such as the best way to train their apprentices, she was actually quite a docile and friendly creature. She loved kits, and trained her apprentice Stormpaw well. Stormpaw thought the world of his mentor, and was always in agreement with anything she said.

Raucous screeches and sounds of fighting suddenly alerted the two. They spun around instantly, Starsky's ochre and Junglebeat's green eyes flashing. Starsky scraped her claws against the rock, making a grating noise, and ran towards the source of the noise, Junglebeat close behind.

When they arrived at the center of camp, the reason became clear. Rogues were attacking! Junglebeat immediately leapt into the heat of battle, while Starsky held back. She didn't really like to fight.

But then a rogue rolled past her, locked in battle with…Stormpaw! Screeching, she lunged at the rogue and sank her teeth into his side. He threw her off quite easily, but she refused to quit. She lunged again, snarling and biting and this time managed to drag him off her apprentice. She growled viciously, and he slowly backed away. She turned to Stormpaw, worried. But her apprentice was already standing up.

"I'm fine, Starsky! Wow! You were terrific! I wish I could fight like you!"

She smiled. "You fought well too, Stormpaw. Perhaps after this battle you shall earn your warrior name."

Stormpaw grinned. "Do you really think so?" Starsky nodded, and then leapt into battle herself. These rogues were tough, and she guessed that even she would have to fight now. She looked around, seeking an opponent. Suddenly, she felt pain in her chest.

A rogue warrior had taken a swipe at her with his sharp claws, and she saw blood trickle down her chest, staining the midnight fur. She snarled, and sank her teeth into his shoulder. He growled, struggled free, and wriggled underneath her. Kicking up, he knocked her over and slashed at her soft, unprotected belly. She winced in pain and tried to slash him, but he managed to leap out of the way in time. She rolled over, groaning, and leapt upwards, trying to land on his back and knock him over. He sidestepped, and she crashed into the ground. Her ears were ringing. Blood was filling her nose and mouth. She lashed out in all directions, but felt nothing. _So I will die here,_ she thought bitterly. As the rogue stood over here, a grin on his face, she suddenly saw a black-gray blur slam into his side. His grin faded, and he fell over. Starsky struggled to make out the face of her benefactor, but soon lost consciousness.


	2. Prophecy

"Starsky, are you alright?" meowed a voice. Groaning, the she-cat opened her eyes, to see Swiftpaw standing over her. Looking around, she realized she was in the medicine cat's den.

"Ah, you're awake." Sealwhisker, the medicine cat, padded over to her side. "Here, have some herbs. They'll lessen the pain."

"Thank you…Stormpaw, did you save me?"

"Yeah, Starsky…and I'm Stormtail now! You were unconscious for quite a long time... So I already had my vigil..."

"Oh, you're a warrior! Stormpaw-no, Stormtail, I'm so proud of you!" The black warrior drew a raspy tongue over the ear of her former apprentice. "I told you that you would earn your warrior name!"

"Stormtail…I should tell you this. Sealwhisker, you need to hear it too, I guess. I've had a dream. Firestar, the legendary leader, came to me. He said, 'Danger threatens the Clan. Beware of the fox that is not a fox. Seek the shadows. Prey shall become a warrior! Those who once ruled shall now be ruled! The ancients live again!'

"And then he vanished. But…I heard his voice on the wind. Names…Strawkit, Wrenkit, Shadowpaw, Stripedfang, Flarekit, Skypaw, Ravenkit..."

"But those are names not in any Clan!" cried Sealwhisker. "What could it mean?"

"Perhaps," muttered Stormtail, "The 'fox' refers to your apprentice, Foxfire?"

Sealwhisker was silent. "Perhaps," she whispered in a barely audible voice. "Perhaps."

* * *

"Good morning, Calvin!" yowled Hobbes, pouncing on his good ol' buddy. 

"AHHHHHHHHHH! TIGER ATTACK! EEEEEEEEE!" screamed the six-year old jokingly. "SAVE ME!" He pulled away from Hobbes''claws, and soon the two were wrestling together on the bed.

"CALVIN! Quit banging around!" called his mom from downstairs. Calvin sighed. "Yes 'Mom.' C'mon Hobbes, let's go into the woods then!" Laughing, the two of them leapt off the bed and ran out the door, pausing only to grab the wagon.

Little did they know what fate had in store for them. As they careened joyously through the woods, they suddenly found themselves flying over a chasm. But this time, the wagon did not make it over. Their lives flashed before their eyes. But just before they hit the ground, they heard a great thunderclap, a voice whispering "Strawkit! Stripedfang!", and then they were nowhere.

* * *

Zoe poked Hammie with the paintbrush. "Is that a cowboy?" 

"No, it's a dinosaur! OF COURSE it's a cowboy!"

"Kids, kids, don't argue, now. Wren's sleeping." Zoe and Hammie's mother, Wanda, walked into the room, drying her hands on a paper towel. "Now, do you kids want to play Scrabble?"

"Yay! Scrabble!"

"I love Scrabble!"

"Wait. What's Scrabble?"

"Let me explain," said their dad, Darryl, entering the room holding Wren, who was asleep. "Now you see, Scrabble is…blah…words…blah blah blah…triple bonus…"

"I don't get it," muttered Hammie.

Wanda sighed. "Let me explain, then…" But she never got a chance. Suddenly, the Scrabble tiles began to glow with a life of their own. Several rose into the air, and spelled out the words "Flarekit," "Wrenkit," "Ravenkit," "Shadowpaw," and "Skypaw" on the board. And then, the words glowed and clashed together, making the noise of thunder, and the board, glowing, opened into a wide abyss, into which they fell.

* * *

Wanda groaned, and pulled herself to her feet. Looking around, she saw that she was in a forest. But what tall trees they were! And what was that smell? Spinning around, she saw a fiery red cat with mussy hair staring back at her. His eyes were sky-blue, and he seemed as confused as she. 

And that was when she realized the cat was as big as she. And remembered that she had risen to her feet-all four of them. Looking down, she saw two black paws. "I-I-I'm a cat!" she cried in shock.

"Mom?????" asked an incredulous-looking black tom. He stared at her with wide, deep turquoise eyes. "I-I'm Hammie! And that's Zoe, and that's Wren!" At his side was a somewhat larger she-cat, who was a red much similar to the larger ones', but her pelt was much smoother than his. Her eyes were dark blue, although not as dark as those of her brother. Tumbling and playing at the large tom's paws was a brown-black kit, much tinier than the others. Her eyes were soft blue, a mixture of sky and cloud. (Whee, a senseless metaphor!)

"Darryl, what's happened to us?" cried Wanda in shock. "Where can we be?" Even as she spoke, Zoe lunged at a tree and tried to climb it. "Don't," Wanda yowled when she saw. "You'll break your neck!"

"Oh no, I won't! Mom, I'm a cat now!" Zoe laughed, but suddenly stopped laughing when a large, striped, orange cat with green eyes lunged seemingly out of nowhere, landing in the middle of the MacPhearsons. A yellow, fur-mussed tom, about Zoe's size, dashed down the tree trunk and knocked her off with one swipe. Zoe fell, landed on her feet, rolled, and got back up, spitting and clawing.

"STOP!" yowled Wanda, pushing Wren beneath her despite the kit's eagerness to watch the battle unfold. "You'll scare the baby!" No one paid any attention to her-including Wren. She tried to squeeze out. Not even Darryl. He was slashing at the striped cat's face, assisted by a furious Hammie.

Calvin stared at Zoe. This girl was good! (He could scent she was a female because Hobbes taught him.) She lunged at him and pinned him down, but he shrugged his shoulders and threw her off. They squalled for a while before breaking apart, panting hard. Their sides were heaving with perspiration.

"Good fight!" growled Zoe. "You fight better than most boys in my class!"

"You were a human too?" cried Calvin in shock.

"Yeah, my name's Zoe. That's my mother Wanda, that's my father Darryl, that's my Stupid Stinkareeno Pudding Head brother Hammie, and that's my cute baby sister Wren. Hey everyone, why don't we stop fighting?" The others heard, and seeing peace made, made peace themselves.

"Oh. I-I'm Calvin." What was the matter? He was never shy around girls, but this one… "That's my tiger friend Hobbes, but he's a cat now." Suddenly, the golden cat stiffened. "I smell something! Around three or four cats…"

"Four," growled Hobbes. "Two females, two males."

"We're going to die!" wailed Hammie.

"No!" snapped Zoe. "We won't! With the help of our new friends"-Calvin looked embarrassed-"we can defeat them!"

"Yes," growled Hobbes. "For I have a plan. Gather around." He beckoned with his tail, and they strolled over to hear what he had to say.

* * *

Whitestar sniffed the air. "Strange cats. Keep your eyes open and your ears alert." 

Junglebeat flexed her claws. "I can't wait! I'll bet it's those rogues again! We'll show them who's boss!" How _dare_ they hurt her best friend! They'd pay!

Windpaw, Junglebeat's apprentice, was bouncing around. He hoped they'd meet the rogues-he wanted to beat them up! "Yay! Ya! We'll show them who's boss alright!" Noticing his mentor's hard stance, he tired to stiffen his body to look like her. Junglebeat had to smile-he was so cute sometimes.

Foxfire, the shrewd but gentle medicine cat apprentice, tilted his head. He had come on this patrol to find herbs for his mentor, who was busy tending to battle injuries. "I don't want to fight-it's not the way of a medicine cat," he purred softly. "Maybe it's just some lost kittypets."

Suddenly, Zoe and Hammie seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Stupid Stinkareeno Pudding Heads!" yowled Zoe. And the chase began! The two siblings ran here and there, finally passing under a large tree. In an instant, Hobbes and Calvin leapt down from it. Calvin went for Windpaw, while Hobbes slashed at Whitestar. Zoe and Hammie hastened to help, lunging at Junglebeat together. Darryl took up the rear, slashing at Foxfire. The Clan cats were outnumbered! But still, they fought back, and still dealt out some injuries to their opponents.

Junglebeat quickly realized that they were losing. She yowled out a command, and Windpaw ran off to alert the Clan of the danger. Unfortuantely, a quick blow from Wanda, hiding behind a tree, incapacitated him. Foxfire had learned fighting moves, but was still not prepared enough to face Darryl, much larger than he. Thinking quickly, he gave Darryl a bite on the tail and tried to unbalance him, but the tom shifted his weight, and pinned the apprentice to the ground. As he tried to get up, Calvin dashed in and bit him in his rear. The bright-red apprentice yowled in pain, but several more blows on the head quieted him.

Now only Junglebeat and Whitestar were left-and Junglebeat was failing. While Calvin went to assist Hobbes, the rest ganged up on the female warrior. A few swipes, and she had run off, while yowling over her shoulder for Whitestar. But when she actually turned, she got the shock of her life.

Hobbes stood over Whitestar, blood dripping from a gash in his shoulder, his legs scathed with numerous slash marks. Despite those wounds, he was still managing to pin the ThunderClan leader down, and Calvin, despite the blood flowing from his forehead and into his eyes, had a claw on her throat.

"Good-bye."

Whitestar gave a gasp, and took her "last" breath. Hobbes smirked, and then marveled at Junglebeat's seemingly calm air. "Your friend is gone, and you're so calm?"

"Ha," snarled Junglebeat simply.

Hobbes stared at her for several more minutes, before yowling at his companions, "Let's go! We-" He never finished the sentence. Suddenly, the "dead" Whitestar leapt agilely to her paws, and landed square on Hobbes' back. The striped tom was helpless.

"What the-you died!" cried Calvin. "I-I-I-I killed you!"

"Oh yeah?" she sneered. "You wanna bet? I have nine lives, and I may have lost one, but more remain!" She shifted her weight, preparing for the kill, as Hobbes' companions could only look on in horror.

* * *

Wow, that was long! Anyways, two things: 

1) You can read the allegiences, as well as upcoming pairings, in my profile.  
2) Can you solve the riddle of the prophecy? Hint: It involves another crossover! Whoever gets it right will get a Firestar plushie! -huggles Firestar-


	3. Names

Foxfire shifted under Darryl's claws. "Ugghhhhh... wha' happened?" Darryl, too shocked by Whitestar's revival, did not notice him wriggle free. Quickly, the bushy-tailed apprentice lunged forward, while yowling, "Whitestar! What are you doing?"

"He killed me. In return, he shall be killed."

Junglebeat, however, had been impressed by Hobbes' strength. "ThunderClan is in a time of need, Whitestar. The recent rogue attack killed off many of our good warriors, and we have also lost several to disease. It would be wise to invite these loners to join us, no? They seem to put up a good fight for ones so young..."

Whitestar hesitated, then released Hobbes. "Do not attack me again, and you shall be allowed to join ThunderClan."

"We will!" yelled Zoe, Hammie, and Calvin together before anyone could stop them.

"Very well. Then I should explain how the Clan system works, and tell you of the warrior code..." Sitting down, she wrapped her tail around her legs and began the explanations. (Not to be included, since I assume you know)

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" 

Slowly, the small number of warriors and apprentices in ThunderClan began to gather. Starsky sidled up to Junglebeat and whispered in her ear, "What's going on?"

"Shh, you'll find out," the large-pawed she-cat replied.

"Recently, a large number of loners have been discovered on our territory. They fought bravely when discovered, and I lost one of my lives in the battle." A collective gasp rose from the assembled cats. Their leader was a powerful fighter, how could she have lost? "I have invited these cats to join ThunderClan, as we are in need of warriors and apprentices. Four of them, however, are still under six moons old, but two will soon be of apprentice age. I will name them now."

"Excuse me," meowed Wanda. "But they already have names. They are Zoe, Hammie, and Wren. This child is not ours, but we know his name-Calvin. I am Wanda, and my...mate is Darryl. This cat"-she gestured at Hobbes-"is called Hobbes."

"Very well," mewed Whitestar. "However, they are in need of Clan names. If it pleases you, I shall name the one you call Wren Wrenkit. Zoe shall be Flarekit. Hammie shall be Ravenkit. And Calvin shall be Strawkit. There are no naming ceremonies, however, for kits. Will that bother you?"

"Those are fine names," purred Darryl. "How about us?"

"You two shall be apprentices," replied the leader. "Clan cats, as you may have realized, this cat"-she gestured at Wanda-"is still nursing a kit, and is technically a queen. All the same, her name shall be an apprentice name. Darryl, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Skypaw, for your blue eyes. Owlwing, you are without an apprentice since Robinpaw died. You were an excellent mentor to him, and I expect you to pass on these skills to Skypaw." The brown warrior trotted proudly up to the rock, touching noses with his new apprentice.

"Wanda, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Shadowpaw. After your kits become apprentices, Starsky shall mentor you." Starsky stepped proudly up. Another apprentice, so soon! Okay, so she'd have to wait. Waiting never hurt anyone!

"How about the last one-the one who took one of your lives?" yowled Owlwing. The brown warrior gazed curiously up at his leader from his position near the Highrock, his amber gaze fixed on Hobbes.

"Ah, Hobbes. You shall be a warrior. From this moment on, you shall be known as Stripedfang."

"Skypaw! Shadowpaw! Stripedfang! Skypaw! Shadowpaw! Stripedfang!"

"Stripedfang, it is the custom of the Clan that you stand vigil at the edge of the camp this night." The newly named warrior nodded proudly, his green eyes glimmering in the light of the sun.

* * *

Strawkit stretched, yawning loudly. For a moment, he didn't remember where he was. Then he did. This was the nursery-where kits and queens stayed! Of course, Shadowpaw was the only queen right now. Her kits were curled up nearby. Seeing Flarekit, Strawkit suddenly felt an inexplainable feeling in his chest. What was it? 

Sniffing the air, he noticed how much more he could scent now that he was a cat. With a careful sniff, he was able to scent Stripedfang. The warrior had been good-he had not fallen asleep, although he was pretty stiff. For a moment, he considered leaving the nursery but decided against it.

"Strawkit, you're awake." Flarekit pulled herself to all fours, yawning loudly. "Do you want to go exploring? Just around the camp, that is."

Suddenly, Strawkit felt an intense desire to explore the camp with Flarekit. He was unable to explain it, but decided not to trouble himself about it. "Alright then, why don't we go?" With a grin at Flarekit, he dashed out the nursery entrance. She followed close behind, laughing happily.

The camp was much larger than they had expected. Several cats were wandering around, some chatting, some putting food on the fresh-kill pile, and all that stuff. The two kits were awed. Turning, Strawkit saw Stripedfang wandering over to the fresh-kill pile. "Hey Flarekit, let's see if Stripedfang will give us some fresh-kill!"

* * *

"Stripedfang, your vigil is over," meowed Whitestar as she approached him. "You may go get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile." 

"Thank you," replied the tiger-striped warrior, padding over to the pile of meat. Tempted by the smell, he licked his lips as he neared it. Quickly, he grabbed a mouse and settled down to eat it.

Strawkit skipped over. "Stripedfang, can I have some?" The warrior grinned, and generously offered him a bite of mouse. Strawkit tore into it with great gutso, offering one to Flarekit, who was watching from the side. She generously accepted, and ate it with chomping bites similar to Strawkit's and Stripedfang's.

"Flarekit! Hi! Hey, can I have some meat too?"

Flarekit groaned. It was her annoying younger brother, Ravenkit. Then again, he wasn't allowed to catch his own food. There wasn't _that_ much in the fresh-kill pile.

"Fine, fine. Here," she muttered, tearing off a tidbit of mouse and throwing it at him. Ravenkit looked dejected, but ate it anyways. After all, it was most likely all he'd get. His sister was stingy-cat or no. He wished he could become an apprentice with her, it wasn't fair that he was younger than she. Luckily, their age difference had been compressed when they arrived. He was maybe a moon and a half younger than she was. That was good.

* * *

**Preview**

_"Flarekit and Strawkit are now six moons old, and ready to receive their apprentice names. Flarekit, from now on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Flarepaw. Rosethorn, you are patient and steady. I ask you to mentor Flarepaw." The deputy rose to her paws and touched her nose to Flarepaw's. The firey apprentice seemed calm, but her heart was pounding with excitement on the inside._


	4. Farewell

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

There was no need to explain further. A full moon shone above, and it was obvious that Whitestar was ready to choose those who would come to the Gathering.

"Stripedfang, Skypaw, and Shadowpaw. This shall be your first Gathering. Stormtail, Junglebeat, and Sealwhisker shall come as well. Now, let us be off!" With a great yowl, she threw herself into the air, flying past them with surprising grace. Rosethorn padded up to her side, and the named warriors and apprentices followed.

"How about us?" complained Flarekit loudly.

"Yeah, how about us?" Strawkit echoed.

"Sorry, but kits are not allowed to attend Gatherings."

"I'll tell you about it!" Stripedfang yowled over his shoulder at the frowning Strawkit. "I promise!"

* * *

"As the other Clans may or may not know, we have recently taken in some strangers. They have proved themselves to be at least moderately competent in battle, and one of them has already earned a warrior name." 

There was a cacophony of cheers as the cats rose to greet the newcomers. Times were hard in the forest, and any newcomers would be welcomed. Stripedfang, Shadowpaw, and Skypaw looked embarrassed.

Stripedfang, an attention-lover, grinned as he waved his tail at the other cats. Shadowpaw and Skypaw, however, stayed further back, not sure what they should say to the rising crowd.

"Furthermore, one of our apprentices has recently become a warrior after fighting bravely in the rogue attack. Originally known as Stormpaw, he is now known as Stormtail." There were several mews of congragulations from the gathered cats. Apparently, Stormtail had been pretty popular with the other cats. But right now, he just looked embarrassed.

As the leaders began to discuss the problem of leaf-fall and the loss of prey, Skypaw wandered over to talk to a few other cats. Walking over to a blue-grey tom he had noticed before, he called out with the same gusto most men had when talking to other men. "Hey, there," he yowled, "What's your name?"

"I am Skywalker," the tom said simply, turning to lick his shoulder, "of WindClan."

"Skywalker?" asked Stripedfang in surprise. He had, after all, watched quite a bit of Star Wars, and he knew the name."That's...an interesting name," he said at last.

"Of course," the tom mewed. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"Well-"

"Attention! ThunderClan is returning home now!" yowled Whitestar, interrupting Stripedfang. The striped warrior quickly sprang to his feet, and dashed towards his leader.

_Home..._ Shadowpaw had a sudden reminder of her old home, the one she had had when she was a human. Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. Now a ThunderClan cat, she would do her best to serve her Clan.

* * *

"So, what was the Gathering like?" asked Strawkit, excited. 

"Ah, boring...Just a lot of talking...but I met a cat called Skywalker!"

"Skywalker? As in, LUKE Skywalker?"

"Er, yeah, I guess you could say that, Calv…Strawkit."

Suddenly, commotion at the border alerted the two friends. Without a word, they both leapt to their feet and ran. They were rather familiar with Clan life now, and realized that it was most likely an attack.

* * *

By the time they arrived, ThunderClan was getting the upper hand. The "attackers" were only a small band of rogues, but they were lean and tough. Despite this, ThunderClan had still managed to drive them off. Spitting and snarling, the intruders had run off the territory now. 

"There are several injuries-we'd better get Sealwhisker," meowed Whitestar. Quickly, she padded towards the medicine cat's den. As she disappeared inside, there was a yowl of terror from somewhere on the battlefield.

"Oh, oh, ROSETHORN, NO!" It was the brown-patched warrior, Owlwing. He was standing over the ThunderClan deputy, his eyes wide with shock. Several patches of red blood decorated her pelt, somewhat blending in with the original patches. However, the blood was bright red, and not the dull red of Rosethorn's actual pelt. "Sealwhisker, where's Sealwhisker?"

However, as Whitestar came towards the clearing, it was not Sealwhisker who followed her, but Foxfire, several healing herbs held in his mouth. His head was lowered, and the ThunderClan cats quickly understood the meaning.

"She's...dead, isn't she?" mewed Starsky thickly. Sealwhisker had been one of her best friends in ThunderClan, along with Stormtail and Junglebeat.

Stormtail and Junglebeat! Where were they? Panicked, she glanced around wildly, until she saw the black-gray pelt. Dashing over, she licked his face furiously. "Stormtail, you're alive! Oh, I can't believe it! I thought you were dead for sure!"

"Yeah, Starsky, I'm glad you're alive too. Have you seen Junglebeat?"

"Yes, Sealwhisker is dead." Whitestar's voice broke the silence before Starsky could reply. "Foxfire is the ThunderClan medicine cat now." Her voice was accentuated with sadness and mourning. "How is Rosethorn?" she asked, turning to Foxfire. The reddish medicine cat raised his head to speak.

"She'll be aright, Whitestar. I'll take her to Sealwhis-my den to rest. We must give Sealwhisker a burial ceremony, right?"

"Yes, we shall give her one soon…" Whitestar's eyes were clouded with grief as well, for Sealwhisker's gentleness had made her popular with most of the Clan. She watched Foxfire help Rosethorn limp off towards his den for a while, before turning to the dead medicine cat.

The full moon shone above, illuminating Sealwhisker's limp grey pelt. Whitestar walked forwards to speak, her voice choked with grief.

"Sealwhisker was a noble medicine cat. Let us give thanks to StarClan for her life. She was dedicated to her Clan, and her memory will never fade from the forest. Now we commend her spirit to StarClan; may she watch over us in death as she did in life."

Slowly and sadly, each cat stepped forward to pay their respects to the medicine cat. Foxfire slowly came from his den, his face even more sorrowful than Whitestar's. "How will I manage without you?" he meowed softly, staring into his former mentor's face as if he hoped for a reply. Of course, there was none.


	5. Apprentices

"Foxfire," said a voice. The new medicine cat lifted his head. Sealwhisker! She stood right before him, her starry pelt glimmering. Joy coursed through the red cat's veins. His beloved had returned to him! But...

"Sealwhisker...why have you come?"

"To warn you. Foxfire, the chosen ones have come. One shall follow you. Beware the fox...that is not...a fox..." Her voice gradually faded, and so did she.

"No! Sealwhisker! Don't leave me..."

"Foxfire, what's the matter?" The cat's eyes flew open, and he saw Ravenkit staring curiously at him. "Erm...I have a stomachache from eating too much fresh-kill, so could you give me something for it?" mewed the black kit.

"Sure..." said the medicine cat, pulling out some watermint from a crevice. "Here you are." He rather liked the little kit, but from his enthusiasm at watching the warriors train, he probably didn't want to become a medicine cat apprentice.

"Thanks!" yowled Ravenkit, chewing and swallowing the perfumed leaves happily. "Oh, did you know that today's the day of Strawkit and Flarekit's apprentice ceremonies? I wish I could be an apprentice too, but I guess I can't...not old enough..."

"I'll come watch!" cried Foxfire excitedly. "It should be interesting."

* * *

"Flarekit and Strawkit are now six moons old, and ready to receive their apprentice names. Flarekit, from now on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Flarepaw. Rosethorn, you are patient and steady. I ask you to mentor Flarepaw. You had a fine mentor in Flamewind, and I expect you to pass on these skills to Flarepaw." The deputy rose to her paws and touched her nose to Flarepaw's. The firey apprentice seemed calm, but her heart was pounding with excitement on the inside. 

"Strawkit, from now on you shall be known as Strawpaw. It has been long since I took an apprentice, and I myself shall mentor you." Strawpaw ran excitedly up to Whitestar and touched noses with her. He would be mentored by the leader herself! What an honor!

The two newest apprentices leapt gracefully down from the Highrock, followed by their new mentors. Whitestar and Rosethorn beckoned to their new apprentices with their tails, and the two young cats followed.

"We are going to show you two the Clan boundaries."

"Sure!" mewed Flarepaw happily. She and Strawpaw exchanged excited glances.

* * *

"Now, this is the RiverClan border. RiverClan have sleek, shiny fur, and swim easily in the river. Their leader is the proud but kind Waterstar. He will not tolerate trespassers, but he doesn't mind mentors showing their apprentices the Clan boundaries." Flarepaw and Strawpaw glanced across the border. Pausing, Strawpaw opened his mouth and tried to smell out the individual cats. Whitestar chuckled.

"There is no need for that now, young Strawpaw. Simply remember their general scent." Strawpaw snapped his mouth shut, and the four cats continued on their way.

* * *

"Now, the WindClan borders. Cats of WindClan run swiftly and agilely over the hills of their territory. The leader of WindClan is the quick and fierce Falconstar. He does not really tolerate other cats...we'd better leave." As they walked on, Strawpaw found himself inching closer to Flarepaw, as if trying to protect her from any patrols that might be coming along. Why did he feel like this?

* * *

"Here is the ShadowClan border. It's said that a cold wind from the north blows over their hearts and makes them cold and hard. Clawingstar is their leader. There is a rumor that once, as the deputy, he killed a kit who was weak-strong enough to survive, but probably too weak to become a warrior. Others say he killed the former leader, Shadestar." Here, even Rosethorn was seen to shudder at those words. Whitestar gestured to a long, foul-smelling road.

"There is the Thunderpath. It forms much of the ShadowClan border, and deadly monsters roar along it..." Whitestar began.

"Let's leave, Whitestar. They have just been apprenticed. Technically speaking, we shouldn't even be showing them the borders yet." Rosethorn glanced at the two young cats. "I'm concerned for their safety."

"But at least they know," countered Whitestar. "They won't go and wander onto the Thunderpath like a stupid kit..."

"Oh, that makes it okay, then?" Rosethorn seemed angry and vicious, even flexing her sharp claws against the hard-packed earth. But Strawpaw recognized that they were only being playful, not really arguing-something he and Hobbes-Stripedfang had done so often-how many times now?

* * *

As they returned to camp, the two continued their friendly bickering. The two apprentices raised their eyebrows at each other. This had been going on for a pretty long time...even if it was just playful. 

"Grownups," growled Strawpaw with a roll of his eyes. Flarepaw nodded in agreement.

* * *

When they reached camp, however, they found it in an uproar. "Ravenkit!" yowled Shadowpaw. "Ravenkit is gone!" Her eyes were wide with fear as she dove through the camp, desperately hunting down her lost kit. Whitestar's eyes widened with shock. She turned to the two frightened-looking apprentices.

"Strawpaw, Flarepaw, did Ravenkit say anything unusual to you two last night, or this morning?"

"No..." muttered Flarepaw, "not at all!"

"Yeah," agreed Strawpaw, "he just wished us luck with our new mentors."

"Wait!" cried Flarepaw. "He said something about showing that he could hunt, so he'd be made an apprentice earlier!"

"That means he left the camp!" yowled Shadowpaw in horror. "Oh, what to do, what to do?"

"First, Shadowpaw, calm down!" snapped Rosethorn. "Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to get upset. Wrenkit needs you, so go back to the nursery and calm her. I will take care of finding Ravenkit myself, along with young Flarepaw here." She gestured to the apprentice with her tail, and Flarepaw followed obediently behind.

"Wait-" called Whitestar, but the pair was already out of earshot.

* * *

Quickly, the pair leapt over logs and splashed through rivers as they hunted for the lost kit. Just as they were giving up and thinking of returning, Flarepaw sniffed the air, her mouth wide open, and caught her younger brother's scent. It was faint and fading, but it was there.

"Rosethorn! I have a scent!" Upon hearing those words, the deputy spun around.

"Where?"

"That direction, towards the Thunderpath!" Rosethorn's jaw dropped and she raced off, followed closely by Flarepaw. If they were lucky, Ravenkit hadn't wandered onto it...

* * *

Go ahead, kill me for the cliffie. HA HA HA!

The end. Of my insanity, not the story, you silly person!


	6. Capture

Ravenkit crouched near the road and watched the cars roar past. He was starting to have second thoughts about this. Then again, how else could he get the Clan to see him as a hero? Swallowing his fear, he dashed forwards...

And then saw a great beast, made of shiny chrome, bearing down upon him, ready to devour him whole. He closed his eyes and wailed into the nose-numbing wind it produced. He knew no one would hear, and certainly not the Twolegs who were behind the wheel of this monster... Funny, he was using the Clan terms now. Was that to be his etipaph? "He died knowing Clan terms"? Oh, please, no! He wanted to live...

He suddenly realized that the noises had stopped. Even crouching down, the Twoleg, an adult male, towered over him. He smiled and reached out a friendly hand. Now his instinct was to run, when a few days ago it would have been to eagerly accept, he instead bared his teeth and flattened his ears. Laughing, the Twoleg scooped him up. Ravenkit slashed desperately, but was forced into the car, and watched helplessly as his territory receded.

He yowled sorrowfully.

* * *

"There is his scent, and the scent of a monster, and the scent of a Twoleg," growled Rosethorn. "I fear he has been taken." 

"Taken?" whispered Flarepaw. "Oh no! We must get him back!" Her tail twitched back and forth in anxiety, her concern shown in her widened blue eyes. A soft snarl rose in her throat as she reflected on the cruelty of the one who had torn her family apart.

"We can follow his scent for a while. Hopefully he has not been taken too far," replied Rosethorn.

They began running.

* * *

Ravenkit hissed at the Twoeleg as he gazed around his new house. There were several paintings hanging on the walls, and the slightly mussed-up rug and shredded drapes seemed to indicate the residence of another cat. But as he sniffed the air, he detected a positive sign...of death. Apparently the former resident had passed away, and now this Twoleg seeked him as a replacement. 

_Forget it,_ he thought. _I feel for you, but my place is in ThunderClan._

With a sudden snarl, he spun around and raced at the door, but felt two hands grab him strongly around his middle. He clawed and screeched, but felt himself being pulled away nonetheless. He heard the soothing speech of the Twoleg, reassuring him that everything would be fine, that he would be taken care of...

_No,_ thought Ravenkit, _no! _Growling, he suddenly had an idea. It was stupid, but it just might work. He allowed himself to go limp, rolling in the Twoleg's hands. Worried, the Twoleg set him down, and then Ravenkit raced out the door. He heard desperate cries behind him, but did not turn back. ThunderClan was his home now, and that was where he would return to.

* * *

Flarepaw nearly smashed right into her brother. 

"Ravenkit?" she screeched in shock, then pounced on him. "Oh, Ravenkit! How did you get away?"

The lithe black kit licked his whiskers gently. "Well...it was like this..."

* * *

"The Twoleg's grubby paws reached down at me, nearly grabbing me. I barely managed to leap out of the way, then snapped fiercely at one of them, making it bleed. Screeching, he grabbed his wound and glared at me, then kicked. I felt the kick bruise my side, but dodged between his legs and ran for the door." Ravenkit finished his narrative, inwardly grinning at the large amount of fascinated eyes fixed on him. 

"Great StarClan, that must have been exciting!" yowled Strawpaw. He wished it had been him instead, after all it must have been so exciting and nerve-wracking! From what he had heard, this Twoleg was a mean, snarly beast who never took baths. He had only one eye and many scars. His house was full of half-eaten food and other, more gross things. Just the mere thought of it made him shudder. Ravenkit was a hero, alright! He had braved the Twoleg's talons and escaped relatively unscathed.

"Yes," grinned Ravenkit. "It was, indeed."

Shadowpaw narrowed her eyes at her only son. There was something strange about the way he was holding his head-like he was afraid to look them in the eye. Was he lying, exaggerating to play the hero?

"Why don't I see any sign of your injury?" she purred gently, staring up at him, willing him to look her in the eye.

"Er..." muttered Ravenkit. "Of course you don't see it! My dark fur hides the bruise!" He drew himself up proudly, still avoiding his mother's eye.

"You lie."

It was a simple sentence, only two words, but those words seemed to crash down onto Ravenkit's head. _You lie. You lie._ He shouldn't have told the tale. Mothers could always tell when you were lying.

"Yes," he whispered softly. "The Twoleg wasn't mean. He just wanted to take me home and take care of me."

Whispers sprang up around him, each cat muttering to another. Ravenkit wanted to sink down into the ground.


	7. Training

"Ravenkit," whispered Shadowpaw softly. "What's the matter?" Her son was curled up in a miserable ball in the nursery, ignoring everything passing by. Although many others had tried to comfort him, he refused to budge, and only whimpered and curled up tighter, not meeting their eyes.

"I'm so bad..." he whispered softly. Indeed, many had given him harshly disapproving glares as he passed between them, after his lie about the Twoleg had been exposed. If only he hadn't lied! Hadn't his mother always warned him that lying was evil, and that it would eventually be found out? "Mommy...can you ever forgive me?"

"I've forgiven you already!" she exclaimed, licking his forehead gently. "We all forgive you. Now all that's left is for you to forgive yourself."

Slowly, Ravenkit uncurled himself, and gently touched noses with his mother.

"Come on, let's get out of here. You've been in here long enough."

* * *

Meanwhile, Strawpaw and Flarepaw were training with their mentors. Whitestar had specially taken time out from her schedule to help with their skills, and she had warned them that it would be tough. Even though Strawpaw had seemed happy at having the leader mentor him, she had given him a hard glare that seemed to warn him that, even though it was a honor for the leader to mentor him, it also meant he would have to work doubly hard.

"Attack me," Whitestar snarled at Strawpaw. "Go ahead-pretend I'm a ShadowClan cat." Smirking, the young apprentice launched himself into the air, his claws extended, aiming at his leader's shoulder. She stepped to one side and pushed her head into him, knocking him over and forcing the breath out of him.

"Gack!" gasped Strawpaw, getting up and glaring at Whitestar. She merely looked back coolly.

"Not as easy as you thought it would be, was it? Try again."

"Gyahhhh!" roared Strawpaw, lunging forwards again. Once more, she sidestepped him, and he crashed into the sand. Coughing and choking, he got up and started spitting. How was this happening? Spinning around, he snarled viciously, then lunged again, this time aiming low. Whitestar took a step backwards and reared back, and hit him full force in the chest. Winded, he flew back and slammed into the ground.

"You are not using your head!" hissed Whitestar. "Your fangs and claws aren't the only thing StarClan gave you!" Just for good measure, she forcefully tapped a paw against his forehead. "Use it!"

"Oww..." muttered Strawpaw. Backing up, he began to study Whitestar, trying to figure out where her weak points were. He was painfully aware of her eyes following his every movement icily, waiting for him to leap. At last, a vague idea formed in his mind. He reared up, as if aiming for her head, and lunged, changing his direction at the last moment to aim downwards. As he had expected, she crouched down, and he was able to give her a cuff on her ear.

"Nice," she muttered. "You did get me off guard that time. But let's see how well you defend yourself!" Without warning, she suddenly pounced at him, her paws reaching out to cuff him sharply on the neck. With a groan, the golden-furred apprentice was knocked to the ground, momentarily stunned.

"Oof! That wasn't fair!" snapped Strawpaw, pulling himself to his feet.

"Fair? Do you think that in a real battle, your opponent is going to turn to you and say, 'Hey, watch out, I'm going to claw your shoulder?' Strawpaw, that's not how life is. You need to be prepared!" That last word tumbled out in a rush, as the leader ran forwards and faked a slash at her apprentice's shoulder. Strawpaw barely managed to sidestep it, and the paw still caught his tail, unblancing him and flinging him to the ground. Suddenly, he leapt up, and tried to catch his mentor's neck with his claws sheathed. Succeeding, he managed to bring her off balance, and with renewed optimism, he slammed into her side, making her stumble. At last, he reared back and crashed his head into hers, knocking her to the ground.

"Ugh!" gasped Whitestar, pulling herself up and spitting out a mouthful of sand. "But now you're getting the idea. You have to surprise your opponent, and that's exactly what you did! I'm proud of you, Strawpaw."

* * *

Flarepaw danced around her mentor, waiting for Rosethorn to make a move. However, the deputy merely watched her apprentice's movements, not attacking at all. Finally, growing impatient, she leapt and swung a fire-colored paw, trying to hit her mentor's face. Rosethorn stepped backwards in one fluid movement, then reared up again and placed one paw firmly over her apprentice's body.

"Ow!" squealed Flarepaw. "Rosethorn, what did you do that for?"

"To show you that I am not so easily tricked," the red-patched she-cat replied. "Your feints are quite obvious, and you clearly weren't intending to attack. Your position changed to a crouch when you were going to attack, so I was able to avoid you quite easily."

"Oh," muttered Flarepaw. "Okay then, get ready for a real attack!" She lunged upwards, her paw slapping inches from Rosethorn's face. The deputy still didn't move, not even when Flarepaw's talons danced paw-lengths from her body. Finally, when Flarepaw leapt at the back of Rosethorn's head, the she-cat stood up, and with a languid movement, leapt lightly forwards, making Flarepaw land on her face.

"Ouch! That was undignified!" muttered Flarepaw, getting up. She hissed softly, then suddenly dashed up to Rosethorn's side and pushed herself against her mentor. This time, her attack connected, but Rosethorn merely shifted her weight, pushing her apprentice over. Flarepaw snarled with fury, and lunged again. Rosethorn didn't even move, as Flarepaw's ill-calculated lunge took her sailing past her mentor and crashing into a thicket of brambles.

Rosethorn turned around and padded over to her apprentice. She gently pulled some brambles away from the red apprentice's fur, and the young cat wrenched herself free, looking very haggard and angry.

"Flarepaw, Flarepaw. You need to learn to control yourself," sighed Rosethorn. She brushed some more brambles away from Flarepaw's fur, then backed off. "Alright, try again. And remember, I am much larger than you. It is a foolishness to attempt overcoming me with brute force. Think, Flarepaw, think."

Flarepaw put her head to one side, her eyes wide with confusion. Apparently, to win a fight more through intelligence had not occured to her. Finally, she circled around her mentor, her ears pricked and tail stiff. Suddenly, she dashed in underneath her mentor, her small teeth upraised to give the deputy a small nip on her stomach. Rosethorn, while expecting the attack, still couldn't avoid it, and winced a little in pain. Flarepaw quickly reared up, using both her front paws to bat fiercely at Rosethorn's stomach. Rosethorn leapt away, but she was grinning.

"That's more like it!"


End file.
